"Not CG?"... The surprising 'Odyssey' is even more astonishing [★FOCUS]

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• Including Korean actor in cast... Behind the scenes of 'Odyssey'

Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey" once again surprises audiences with its overwhelming filming technique that relies not on CG.

Released on the 5th, "Odyssey" (directed by Christopher Nolan) is a film adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey," regarded as humanity's first great epic. It is also a project that represents director Nolan's dream nurtured for over two decades, consolidating his vision and cinematic challenges developed over many years as a filmmaker beyond being a simple blockbuster.

Christopher Nolan is famous for preferring actual filming and practical special effects rather than heavily relying on CGI or VFX (visual special effects).

This was also the case on the mysterious island where "Circe" resides in "Odyssey" and in the territory of the giant "Laestrygonians." While the scene where the witch Circe carves the soldiers' faces and bodies is astonishing in itself, what is even more surprising is that it was completed using practical special effects rather than CG.

Samantha Morton, who played Circe, stated, "I want to make it clear that no CGI was used at all; every scene was completed through actual filming," adding, "That is the magic of the film. There has always been a magical technique in films that deceives audiences in beautiful ways."

The production team reportedly created pig animatronics that Samantha Morton could move and manipulate with her own hands. Subsequently, by utilizing sophisticated editing and camera angles, they directed the scene to appear as if Morton was actually transforming the soldiers into pigs.

The Laestrygonians filming scene employed forced perspective techniques along with stunt actors of significantly different heights to create the illusion of actual giants. Matt Damon's stunt double in front of stuntmen over 7 feet (approximately 213 cm) tall was Devin Dalton, a stunt actor standing only 4 feet 6 inches (137 cm).

Matt Damon, who played Odysseus, revealed, "My stunt double was a female stunt actress, and she had the most impressive arm muscles of anyone I have ever seen."

Given that "Odyssey" features a wide variety of characters, much attention has been focused on its casting. In particular, the casting that sparked the most controversy in the United States was the appearance of Black actress Lupita Nyong'o and transgender actor Elliot Page.

Some expressed opposition to casting Black actress Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, described as a stunning beauty in Greek mythology, and her twin sister Clytemnestra. The casting of transgender actor Elliot Page as the Greek warrior Theron also sparked controversy.

Elon Musk also criticized director Christopher Nolan on his social media as a "white-hating racist." In response, Director Nolan dismissed the casting controversies raised prior to the screening as "meaningless" and countered that those making such claims had not actually seen the film.

Korean-American actor Will Yun Lee also appears in "Odyssey." He plays a sailor who joins Odysseus on his journey, heightening the tension of the story and asserting his presence.

Will Yun Lee is the son of Lee Soo-woong, a Korean immigrant and taekwondo grandmaster. He founded the production company "Seoul Street" and has been actively active in Hollywood. He gained recognition through films such as "The Wolverine" (2013), "Spy" (2015), and "San Andreas" (2015).

Will Yun Lee recalled, "'Odyssey' was the biggest journey of my entire career in Hollywood," adding, "I had to climb mountains for an hour every day wearing armor." He continued, "We filmed while moving from Morocco to Iceland, and every process was not easy."

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*This content was translated by AI.